Saffron Trail Food Times Edition 02

May 2, 2013

It’s turning out to be quite a task to keep track of the food scene in Bangalore. New restaurants are opening almost every week.
Restaurants are coming up with the idea of food festivals and new menus to introduce their patrons to new flavours. Here are some of them being featured in the second edit

It’s turning out to be quite a task to keep track of the food scene in Bangalore. New restaurants are opening almost every week.

Restaurants are coming up with the idea of food festivals and new menus to introduce their patrons to new flavours. Here are some of them being featured in the second edition of my food news post.

Some of food bloggers were invited to a chef’s table at Saffron, Park Plaza, famous for its kababs cuisine from the NWF Province for a tasting from their new menu.

Bhunee chaat, palak shorba, chutneys condiments, raw papaya launji

The menu for was planned meticulously by Chef Mohd. Ishtiyak, who is fondly known as Master Chef – India of the restaurant.

Right from the condiments platter which had pickled shallots, raw papaya launji, mint chutney, hung curd chutney among other mouthwatering items, his deep Indian traditions and attention to food preparation was evident.

The aim of the menu was to showcase Indian spices- a few preparations had over two dozen spices ground for the marinade. The simple style of preparation, whether meat, seafood or vegetables marinated and cooked in the clay tandoor at high temperatures was the hallmark of the menu.

This focus on rustic cuisine preserving the flavours and ingredients can be experienced at this restaurant. The Bhunee chaat (using a mix of fruits veggies) and the panchrattan seekh were my favourites!

Bread basket-Bhutte tamatar ki subzi-Subzi Abir

Saffron, Park Plaza, 90-4 Outer Ring Road, Marathahalli, Bangalore

Meal for two – INR 2000 plus taxes

And 100 ft Rd Indira Nagar gets one more restaurant. This is La Tagliatella, an Italian restaurant chain from Spain which opened its first Indian outlet in Ambience Mall, Delhi. Their focus is on cuisines from the regions of Piamonte, Liguria, and Reggio Emilia of Italy.

Their portions are quite large (serves groups of 4 well) and their salad is actually a ‘big’ salad too. While the pricing seems somewhat steep at first, one look at their portions and quality ingredients used, they seem to be justified.

Almost all ingredients such as flour, cheese, tomatoes etc are imported to maintain the same quality across restaurants in all countries. We tried this place pre-opening and I can say it has a lot of scope.

Their pizzas are made in Morello Forni pizza oven which simulates the wood-fired oven is very eco friendly as compared to the wood-fired oven. The decor totally transports you from a high street shopping place in Bangalore to a quaint cafe in Italy.

A word of caution-make sure you leave sufficient space in your tummies for dessert-their tiramisu Mascarpone-cream are truly sublime.

A couple of ongoing food festivals are the Beer Burger festival at Windmills Craftworks, a microbrewery-restaurant and a jazz theatre with live performances on weekends. You’ll find a range of vegetarian, beef, pork, chicken and seafood burgers paired with beer of which you get a complimentary 1/2 pint glass. 331, Road No. 5 B, EPIP zone, Whitefield, Bangalore, India 560048, _(80) _2569-2012, +917259024652

St.Marks hotel is celebrating a Maharashtrian Food Festival, vegetarian food buffet at 499 per person. It’s on until 5th May, so hurry if you are a fan of regional cuisines. My friends tried this yesterday and have given it a big thumbs up. They are open for lunch and dinner